Based upon the original
comics by Monkey Punch, Lupin the Third:
The Complete First TV Series aired for two seasons and had episodes
in the run
that were crafted by famed directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata,
both of
whom would later form Studio Ghibli. The show followed the famous thief
named
Lupin the 3rd on his various escapades.

Lupin
the 3rd
is one of Japan's most iconic anime characters
and a fan favorite for decades. Lupin has stayed around long enough to
see several
generations of followers. The beginning years were quite a bit
different then
the following (or more recent) incarnations of the character in
animated form.
Things blossomed in the beginning in surprising ways.

First
of all, Lupin the 3rd began as a
series after a successful pilot was given the go-ahead by the
production
company TMS Entertainment. The early pilot and the first few episodes
to follow
it were different from the early Lupin
incarnation now made famous by the creative team behind many of the
early
episodes. The proposed version of Lupin seemed to be mean-spirited and
he lacked
the charisma that made him such a lovable character. Lupin is supposed
to be
goofy, a huge hearted kid of a man, and a constant adventurer who
places the
lives of others above his own. That is the Lupin that Miyazaki and
Takahata cherished
and the Lupin that became the iconic character that is still considered
vital
and relevant today.

Luckily,
this proposed idea
of Lupin in anime form was short lived.
The early episodes are less adventurous and comedic but Lupin never
actually
made it to an obnoxious stage in the earliest of episodes. In fact,
even the
earliest episodes still have the occasional good moment. Yet it is upon
the spirited arrival of Miyazaki and Takahata as the creative backbone
of this early
series
that it takes flight as an amazing anime experience and as a precursor
to the
incredible work still to come from these artists.

Lupin
never seemed to be
into stealing for the money and was more of an adventurer who liked to
put himself
up to various complicated missions. Joining Lupin was his kind-of
girlfriend of similar fame, Fujiko (who almost always
liked to double-cross
Lupin and try to steal all the money). Lupin's partner was the quietly
intense
Jigen. Sometimes he was the one who had enough brains to help Lupin
complete
his missions; other times he was the one with a good ability to just
get things
done. Goemon occasionally joined Lupin's team as one of the great
living swordsmen.
Lastly, Inspector Zenigata was the determined police inspector who
tries
constantly to get Lupin but almost always comes up short. The funniest
thing about
Lupin is perhaps how he and Inspector Zenigata are basically fond
admirers of
each other. Lupin and Zenigata are almost like friends even without
them ever
willingly saying as much.

The
basic plot is that
Lupin attempts to steal something or save someone (while being confused
for
attempting to steal something) while being chased by Inspector
Zenigata. Lupin
enlists the dedicated help of Jigen, the occasional help of Goemon, and
the possible-help
or double-cross Fujiko has planned. The bad guy's usually fail in the
end and
Lupin helps consistently to save everyone, whether that is himself and
his
comrades or some helpless people in bad situations.

Miyazaki
would later
expand his Lupin experience with his debut
feature film. A film entitled The Castle
of Cagliostro, it was the second film released within the expansive
Lupin canon. Miyazaki's
follow-up to these early episodes
was a stepping stone of all that he had learned while working on the
series and
it was a sign of things to come for the great writer/director.

Lupin
the Third: The First TV Series is
basically divided into three core parts. The earliest
episodes of Lupin the Third were
directed by Masaaki Osumi and while there is some good entertainment
that occurs during a
few of these
episodes it can tend to be a bit more sporadic and it is all
over the
map with varying degrees of quality. This portion is for the eight
episodes
introducing the show. The second section consists of episodes where
Osumi
continued to work on the show but with the added addition of Miyazaki
and Takahata.
It surprisingly seems that these episodes tend to be uneven too
(even with episodes that supposedly had more involvement from Miyazaki
and
Takahata).
Lastly, the final third of adventuring with Lupin
the 3rd is entirely
the work of Miyazaki and Takahata.
These are
absolutely stellar episodes and they are undeniably close in spirit to The
Castle of Cagliostro: these
particular episodes contain great comedy, character moments, and
thrilling
adventures.

This
collection will make a solid
addition to any Studio Ghibli collection. With the involvement of
Miyazaki and
Takahata, watching these episodes is a lot like experiencing early work
in
preparation for their later masterpieces. The Lupin character (and
supporting
characters) definitely happens to be great fun too. Anyone who enjoyed The Castle of Cagliostro is absolutely
going to enjoy watching any and all episodes directed by the Ghibli
geniuses.

The
DVD:

Video:

The
1.33:1
full frame presentation properly preserves the original broadcast
aspect ratio
and longtime fans of Lupin and
newcomers alike will find plenty to appreciate about these DVD
transfers. The
bitrates are uniformly high and the image is mostly clean and free from
print
damage or deficiencies. The image does have some slight grain but this
just helps
to retain important detail. It's a pleasant presentation on the video
front.

Audio:

Here
is
where things become a bit trickier to consider. The audio is
inconsistently
handled. The 5.1 surround sound presentation is better than I expected
from
this series. It certainly exceeded my expectations for a remixed
version based
around a 2.0 presentation. The sound effects and scope of sounds is
more
convincing this way. However, the 2.0 audio is the way to watch the
show with
the original mix and the bitrates are
lower. I also noticed a slight audio delay on a couple of episodes on
the last
disc. This seemed to be a minor time delay with the 2.0 audio. Viewers
without
a keen eye and ear won't notice but those of you who are especially
picky might
find it a minor annoyance if you lack the surround sound option as an
experience. I certainly think the results are mildly disappointing.
Dialogue is
clear and easy to follow.

The
series
is presented in Japanese with English subtitles. No English dub option
has been
produced.

Extras:

The
supplemental section shines magnificently. You can tell straight away
that a
lot of hard work went into this aspect of the release. I was impressed.
The
best thing about the release is the notes. These contain detailed
information
about who worked on each episode (from scripts, direction, storyboards,
etc.)
and facts or interpretations specific to different episodes. It made
the
overall experience much more enjoyable. These notes add a huge value to
the set
that is appreciated. Essays and notes are by Reed Nelson
(Lupinthe3rd.com) and additional
essays are by Daniel Thomas MacInnes (The Ghibli Blog). Select episodes
also
contain audio commentaries with background information and history
related to
the show.

Lastly,
the original two pilots are included. I didn't care much for either of
them but
I was absolutely appreciative to see them as supplements. It gives a
better
idea of how the show ultimately began and gives a clearer picture of
how things
developed over time too.

I
can't
imagine Lupin fans being disappointed
by these extras. I expected this release to have little in the way of
supplements, and I was more than pleasantly surprised with the wealth
of
information and by the clearly noteworthy efforts from those involved.

Final
Thoughts:

Lupin
is
one of the greatest anime characters of all
time. The early episodes directed by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata
are
fantastic to behold. If you consider yourself an anime fan this special
DVD
collection of the first two seasons (the original Lupin episodes) is a
must
watch. Fans of The Castle of
Cagliostro will love this collection. Consider it a
worthwhile purchase.